Match-holder.



-W. A. SMITH.

Patented June 22, 1909.

WILLIAM A. SMITH, OI" GOSHOCTON, OHIO.

MATCH-HOLDER Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1909.

. Application filed July '7, 1908. Serial No. 442,332.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM A. Snrrn, citizen of the United States, residing at Coshocton, in the county of Coshocton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in hIatch-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates certain improvements in match holders of that type designed to hold a box of matches and so constructed that one or more matches may be conveniently removed from a hopper po sitioned below the match box.

One of the objects of this invention is to construct a match holder formed with a box holding portion and a hopper arranged beneath the box holding portion so that matches will be received from the box in limited quantities, and may be removed from the hopper one at a time if desired.

Another object of this invention is to construct a match holder of the type described that may be made of a single piece of sheet material by a die, and which can be readily formed into a completed article.

Another object of this invention is to construct a match holder formed with a plurality of vertical side slots arranged to register with the scratcher sides of match boxes.

Another object of this invention is to construct a match holder of the type described to receive a match box containing good matches and also to receive burned matches.

With these and other objects in view, this invention comprises certain other combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly described in the specification and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved match holder as it would be when positioned against a wall, Fig. 2 is a plan view of a blank before my improved holder is formed, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the device.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings, I have illustrated the preferred form of constructing my improved holder, and this form .is particularly adapted for general use among all classes where an extremely cheap and serviceable match holder is desired.

My improved holder may be made in any size and shape, and it will be found necessary in practice to construct it in many shapes and sizes to accon'nnodate different sizes and shapes of match boxes. In the form illustrated, numeral 1 designates a main body portion comprising a plurality of walls, 1, 1 1 and 1, the walls 1 and 1 being joined together by means of overlapping lock flanges 2 and 2. The side walls 1 and 1 are formed with vertical longitudinal slots 3. Front wall 1 is provided with a rearwardly and downwardly inclined de- Hector 4, which is formed with a semi-circular recess 5 in the lower edge thereof, and tongues 6, which are arranged to project through side walls 1 and 1 and be bent against the outer faces thereof to secure the deflector in position. Back wall 1 is formed with an upwardly and forwardly turned portion 7 which is provided with a recess of semi-circular formation 8 in the end thereof. The lower ends of walls 1 and 1 are preferably rounded to engage the bent portion 7 which is soldered thereto, or which may be secured by flanges formed on the edges of the bent portion 7 and bent over the rounded ends of walls 1" and 1. These flanges may be made interlocking as 2 and 2. The top of wall 1 is formed with an extension 10 provided with an aperture 10 The wall 1 is formed with a forwardly bent and curved portion 11 which is provided with laterally extended flaps to engage at the ends of the portion 11 to form a tray for the reception of burned matches. The walls 1, 1, 1 and 1 surround a compartment 13, and the bent portion 7 constitutes the bottom of a hopper 9.

The operation of my improved match holder is extremely simple as will be evident from the foregoing description. When it is desired to fill the compartment 13 with matches a box first having one of its ends removed, is inserted in the compartment 13 by inverting the match holder, and forcing the open end of the match box against the deflecting plate 4. The slots 3 are provided for the purpose of disclosing the prepared match scratching surfaces upon the sides of the match box. The match holder is now placed in its upward position and the same hung on a wall by means of a suitable hook which is passed through the aperture 10*. The matches will fall from the box against deflecting plate 4 and into the hopper 9, from which they may be removed as desired. The match scratching surface on the match box registers with one of the slots 3, and the bent portion 11 serves as a hopper for burned matches.

The particular advantage in forming the holder with more than one scratcher slot, is that the box may be positioned in any part of a room, on the middle portion of a wall or in any corner, or in fact, in any suitable place, and there will always be a scratcher side conveniently exposed.

T he holder can be made of a single piece of sheet material such as tin, steel, or brass, by a single die, and formed at a very low cost. It may also be made with a weighted bottom and provided with artistically formed supporting legs for using it on a table or other place.

A cover piece 14: formed with edge flanges 15 may be positioned on walls 1 and 1 so as to cover the compartment 13. This arrangement prevents any burned matches from coming into contact with the unburned matches. The cover piece ll may be hinged to wall 1 or be removably positioned on walls 1 and l as shown in Fig. 1.

My improved holder may be formed out of bronze, brass, lead, or other metal by means of a suitable mold and provided with rigid or removable legs.

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

As an article of manufacture a match holder comprising a sheet of metal stamped to form a back, sides, a front, said back, sides and front adapted to inclose a match box opened at its lower end, an extension depended from said back being curved forwardly and upwardly and engaged to the lower ends of said sides, said extension being cutaway at its outer edge, a deflector depended from said front and curved inwardly therefrom, said deflector being cutaway intermediately of its lower edge, said sides 

